Fury upgrades I've done

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Skaxis

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Arrma RC's
  1. Fury
ESC & Motor

It's nearly Christmas and I've had this truck since summer. It was purchased to be a "loaner" truck for my son's buddies so they could bash with him and his Losi XXX-SCT. Turns out I end up driving it a lot more than his buddies and I just can't let a RTR sit stock.

The Mega Fury pressed the issue when after just a few battery packs the stock Mega 15T motor burned up. Arrma graciously replaced it under warranty but I never took it out of the package. I ran a Tamiya Dirt Tuned motor for a while. It's a mildly tuned 27T motor. Although it's slow, it's a nice piece of kit and I figured that a slower truck would be better for his buddies to pilot. After about a dozen battery packs I swapped out the Dirt Tuned for a Tamiya Super Stock BZ. It's a 23T more aggressively tuned motor and was noticeably faster than the Dirt Tuned. If you don't want to move to a brushless setup and would like a more reliable replacement motor for the stock, I can't recommend the Super Stock BZ highly enough. It's a GREAT motor and is plenty fast, seriously.

I ran it with that motor for months. Just last week I finally installed the Castle Creations Sidewinder SCT combo with Neu-Castle 1410 3800 KV combo I bought this past fall. I have to say, this combination is brilliant in this truck! It has just the right amount of power. It exhibits minor cogging at only the absolute slowest, barely on the throttle speeds. Speeds that slow are never seen in a basher or on the track, and would be completely unnoticeable under any normal driving situation other than expressly trying to make it cog.

Edit:
I should also add that using the stock pinion on a 56 degree day the motor temps were mid-50 degrees F across the body of the motor. I checked at one minute intervals for a while then extended the interval checks to 2 minutes then 5. Even after 5 straight minutes of full throttle running across uneven grass with hills the highest temp I recorded was 74 degrees F near the end bell.

I also got the Castle Link cable and adjustment card. While the link is nice, it's cumbersome to connect up to the computer. All adjustments can be made from the card, and the adjustments are plentiful. I can't say enough good things about this very nice, very affordable combo as an upgrade to a Mega Fury (or other Mega line vehicles). If the Dynamite Tazer ESC in the Losi is any indication of what the ESC in a $350 RTR SCT truck is like, I believe the Sidewinder would make a wonderful upgrade for those running a BLS or BLX.

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This thing now runs neck and neck with the Losi, on the tarmac. Once we get into grass or dirt the Fury is bouncing a bit out back which is robbing it of speed and control. That's when the Losi starts to walk away from me. So up next will be to see if I can tune and/or modify the stock dampers so they'll function better. Stay tuned...
 
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I am not quite ready for any serious upgrades as my son drives it 98% of the time. But, I still like threads like this because it helps me figure out replacement options when something breaks. I am in the process of building a spare parts/tool box.

We've already lost/replaced 3 of those body clips :)
 
That is a wonderful upgrade! Skaxis that does really unlock the potential of the truck for sure! I'm still trying to find the perfect balance pinion gear. My plastic motor mount won't last long.
 
Awesome I can't wait to put the maba max on my granite! Was going to put I on my blx but my sons brushed motor went out gonna up grade his.... and have a back up brushed motor after warranty
 
Front shocks

I think many people have been searching for some (affordable) upgrade shocks for their Fury. Why Arrma insists on using proprietary, non-standard size parts is beyond me. It limits the appeal of the vehicles and makes acquiring upgrades a lot more difficult. I've read old threads on other forums about people who have used the Ofna Jammin CRT .5 shocks. I can't find them though:

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Reports show a lot of folks have some decent luck fitting shocks meant for the Traxxas Slash so I ordered up a set of Ultra Alloy shocks for the Slash 4X2 from Atomik R/C. Part # 4139R for the front and Part # 4140R for the rear.

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Side-by-side comparison between stock and the Atomiks:

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Clearly the Slash uses longer stroke shocks on the front. So I took some center of eye to center of eye measurements to see what I was dealing with here.

Stock:

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Atomik Ultra:

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I also measured spring diameter. I didn't want to go to a ton work to get the length close just to find out that the Atomik springs were too big to fit through the front upper suspension arm!

Stock:

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Atomik Ultra:

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So, the Atomik Ultra's are approximately (allowing for some slop in my measurements) 75mm bigger. I gave it a quick test fitment and the Atomik Ultra's slid through the gap in the upper suspension arm just fine. I did notice during this fit test that the ball in the shocks lower mount point didn't want to seat into the lower suspension arm. So I measured them.

Stock:

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(The measurement is accurate, it just looks off because of how the calipers and shock sit on the desk.)

Atomik Ultra:

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Exactly .5mm wider. In order to correct this I used the lower mount eye from the stock shocks on the Atomik Ultra's. They are shorter which will help make up some of the difference in overall shock length.

I used some A.E. Green Slime on the o-rings:

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I filled the shocks with Tamiya Soft Yellow 400 CST (approx 32.5 wt) shock oil. I set the spring pre-load to zero by threading the adjustment collar all the way to the top and then mounted them up on the Fury. The keen eyes out there will notice that I also used the stock lower shock collar to hold the spring onto the shock. The pretty red aluminum one that came with the Atomik Ultra shocks was a little too loose on the stock Arrma lower shock mount. If I had 6mm wide balls I could have used all the Atomik parts which would have made for a more attractive install.

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Close-up of the top mount:

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Notes:

I couldn't use the stock ball mount on the top. I had to use the shouldered spacer Atomik included in the kit. I put the shoulder against the shock mount and soon discovered that spring was dangerously close to rubbing on the rearward most portion of the hole in the upper suspension arm. I also didn't care for how the lock nut was the only thing keeping the shock from sliding forward and off the mounting screw. I did two things to correct these issues.

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1) I added a 2mm plastic spacer here.

2) I added a 7mm outer diameter washer here.

Now the shock is perfectly centered in the gap of the upper suspension arm.

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First Impressions:

I haven't gotten it out to drive yet. I still have the rears to do but my initial impressions of the Atomik Ultra Alloy front shocks are that they are quite nice. They aren't up to the same standard as those on my sons Losi XXX-SCT or on my Tamiya TRF 201 but they only cost $30 for a complete front/rear set (Thanks to an Atomik holiday sale, I got each kit for $14.99 +free S&H). The fit and finish is quite good. No complaints there. They aren't as smooth mounted as they were when I worked them between my fingers. I blame the front geometry of the Fury coupled with the fact that these are technically too long for this truck. Now that they're on I bet that I'll eventually go down to Tamiya Red shock oil (weight 200) in the fronts.
 
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Rear Shocks

Side-by-side comparison between stock and the Atomiks:

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Obviously the Atomiks are a bit longer than stock but there's not nearly as much of a delta as there was between the fronts.

The stock rear shocks measure out eye to eye at 100mm :

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The Atomiks are 106mm :

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These shocks all come sans oil which means you have to build them. To do that, you take them apart. I suppose you could just fill them and go but I like to seal my o-rings with A.E. Green Slime and that requires a full disassembly. Here they are in my shock stand:

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Green Slime on one of the two o-rings in each shock:

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A little more on the top of the 2nd o-ring before the spacer goes in:

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Once the pistons are reinstalled, fill up the reservoir with your choice of silicon shock oil. I used Tamiya Soft Red 200 CST (approx 20 wt) shock oil here on the rears. I prefer the rear shocks to be a little softer than the fronts. IMHO this provides a bit more traction than if the rears were the same stiffness as the fronts. Also, slightly stiffer front shocks allow it to take some hard knocks while being bashed. ;)

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Install the diaphragm:

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Once you screw on the cap you can put the spring and lower cap on. I started off with 10mm of space between the cap and the adjustment ring. This seems to provide a nice balance of droop and shock action. We'll see how it stands up when being run hard.

Once it's all built it's time to install them on the truck. I used the same approach as I did on the front. Eschewing the stock ball attachment, I used the collared sleeve that came with the Atomik's. Collar side toward the shock mount point. Follow that up with a 7mm diameter washer and then the lock nut can safely be tightened.

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Here's how it looks mounted up. This is 100% Atomik parts. No bits of the stock shock were needed.

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The view from directly perpendicular to the chassis:

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As you can see, while there isn't a ton of space between the coil spring and the upper control arm, there is enough.

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Notes:

These were a direct swap over for the stock shocks. They work so much nicer! Certainly worth the $15 I spent on them. If you're looking for an inexpensive replacement for the rear shocks I think these are a fine choice. My opinion might change after a few battery packs though. I'll update my impressions in the future as I put some time in with this setup.

There is an oddity though. There's a weep hole in the cap of the shocks (both front and rear). When the shocks are completely compressed, oil bleeds out. If anyone has some insight into this design I would very much like to hear about it. How does the oil get out when there is a diaphragm between the oil reserve and the concave space in the cap. Also, if you know why I won't eventually lose all my oil (like it appears I will) I would love to hear about that too!

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First Impressions:

I'm not keen on how the chassis is no longer level. It has a noticeable nose-up stance now. This is undoubtedly due to the too long front shocks. I suppose I could swap out the Atomik spring that came with the front shock kit with a shorter one but that'll only reduce my throw. What I need is to find a shorter piston. A 10mm shorter piston would solve this issue. I don't think Atomik sells any but I'm going to check into it. Other than that though I'm quite pleased with my $30 upgrade!

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Shock Epilogue

After more research I have come to the conclusion that Atomik does not provide any different length pistons for their shocks. I also discovered that Integy makes a shock line called MSR11 which come in a 78mm length, 98mm length and a 108mm length. At $15, $22 and $25 receptively they are similarly priced to the Atomik Ultras. I have ordered up a set of the 78mm for the front. I'll report back once they arrive and I've installed them.
 
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all you need to do is put shock limiters in the front shock. when you take apart the shock and remove the shaft with the piston on, all you do is put the spacers underneath the piston before re assembly. here is a picture for reference:

team-associated-factory-team-t4-2-build-pic-81_zps2no7irca.jpg


All you have to do is measure the difference in shock height from the factory shock to your new aftermarket shock. what ever the difference is you add that amount of spacers and that would be a good starting point. you can always remove limiters for a bit more travel for big jumps, or add limiters for less travel on pavement.

I don't know the shock shaft diameter of those particular shocks so I wouldn't be able to recommend a specific limiter set for you. I use the associated shock limiter set on my traxxas shocks.
 
all you need to do is put shock limiters in the front shock. when you take apart the shock and remove the shaft with the piston on, all you do is put the spacers underneath the piston before re assembly. here is a picture for reference:

team-associated-factory-team-t4-2-build-pic-81_zps2no7irca.jpg


All you have to do is measure the difference in shock height from the factory shock to your new aftermarket shock. what ever the difference is you add that amount of spacers and that would be a good starting point. you can always remove limiters for a bit more travel for big jumps, or add limiters for less travel on pavement.

I don't know the shock shaft diameter of those particular shocks so I wouldn't be able to recommend a specific limiter set for you. I use the associated shock limiter set on my traxxas shocks.

Outstanding suggestion. I'm going to give that a go tomorrow. Thanks for the idea!
 
No problem. I had the same issue when I did put the slash shocks on front.

I also elected to put softer springs on the front. Running that long spring with a spring rate designed for a heavier slash and essentially 10-12mm of preload from the limiters will make the front probably a little more stiff than you need.

Also is the hole that is leaking fluid threaded? I have associated shocks that have a similar hole used for bleeding but there is a screw you thread in when your done so fluid doesn't come out.
 
I took your suggestion and used a 6mm spacer that I had in my spares box. Once reassembled (still using the Arrma lower mount and collar) the Atomik Ultra shock is 80mm measured from eye-to-eye. 2mm is close enough for government work so I called it good.

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Since the rear shocks are also a couple of mm longer than stock, this all works out to a level chassis. I backed the spring pre-load nut all the way to the top since as noted, this spacer effectively puts 6mm of pre-load into the shock. I'm pleased with the way this project has turned out. The rear is glorious. They are smooth and linear. The back end behaves properly over all sorts of terrain. I still think the front is a little pogo-stickish though. I'm not sure if it's due to the jiggered shocks or the geometry of the front suspension. My sons Losi XXX-SCT has far better front suspension action than this.

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The hole in the shock caps are not threaded, but that's exactly what I thought at first as well. I've got a similar bleed hole on my TRF 201 shocks but these Atomik's just have a hole in the top. :confused: Weird, right?

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Hi

Can you see the hole from the inside of the shock cap, and can you see light threw the hole? Also do the shocks have bladders in them?
 
Hi

Can you see the hole from the inside of the shock cap, and can you see light threw the hole? Also do the shocks have bladders in them?

Yes, the hole is plainly visible on the inside of the cap and yes these shocks are equipped with a diaphragm.

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The only way for oil to bleed out of the hole in the cap is if the diaphragm contorts under pressure from the upward piston movement during shock compression. I suppose the hole in the cap could be intended to function as a pressure relief valve of sorts, which would be fine just so long as the diaphragm didn't let any oil pass, which it does.
 
Rims and Tires

We all know that as with most RTR trucks, the dBoots Sidewinder tires that ship with the Arrma Fury are hard. Very, very hard. While this bodes well for longevity they aren't so great with the traction. Thanks to Arrma's brilliant decision to use a non-standard rim design (/sarcasm) it's not just a simple matter of buying new SCT tires and swapping them out. No, you have to buy new rims as well and until recently Arrma didn't make a standard style rim. To make matters more difficult they made another brilliant (/sarcasm) decision to also us a non-standard off set so using rims for another SCT would alter the stance of the truck. They have finally come to their senses and made available standard style SCT rims that will accept the whole slew of aftermarket SCT tires available for the other guys trucks.

I opted for part number AR510046 Black Chrome rims. Know that they also come in Black or Chrome.

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My sons Losi XXX-SCT has ProLine Trenchers which are a fantastic all-rounders. Honestly I was going to use them on the Fury as well but Tower had a sale on the Badlands which made them considerably less expensive. The Badlands are more aggressive than the Trenchers which will make them excel in the dirt and grass but wear more quickly on the pavement and grip less on the clay track. Since most of our bashing at a kids play park I reckon that the Badlands are the best choice for where and how we drive the Fury.

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This is how the Fury looks with them mounted up:

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I still need to glue them on. Once that's done and I've given it a proper thrashing I'll report back on how they do.
 
Hi

What is the difference between Arrma SC rims and other SC rims, is it the off-set of the rim that makes them different?
 
I've heard the arrma sc offset is somewhere in between a slash and associated sc offset. But I'm not entirely sure of the measurements
 
Yes, the offset is odd, but that's not the biggest issue. Unless you're racing a ROAR sanctioned event no one is going to much care if your front rims are a few mm wider than the rules say is allowed. If you look at the image below you'll see just how different the old style (cone shaped) Arrma rims are compared to standard style rims.

I'm so thankful that they've finally come to their senses and put to market rims that conform to the accepted SCT standard.

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So while we can't just buy non-Arrma rims off the shelf and stay within spec, we can at least now buy tires from the likes of ProLine, J-Concepts and AKA among others!
 
I am not quite ready for any serious upgrades as my son drives it 98% of the time. But, I still like threads like this because it helps me figure out replacement options when something breaks. I am in the process of building a spare parts/tool box.

We've already lost/replaced 3 of those body clips :)

Sorry, DBBD I've been meaning to reply to this post but it got away from me. There are a couple of ways that you can keep those body clips from walking off on their own. The first thing I tried were some body clip cables. The ones I went with are by Team Raffee Co and were supplied by AsiaTees. I like them because they are all of $1.65 for a set.

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Installed on the Fury:

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While the clip cables do their job, and are about a 30 second task to install, I find that I prefer the $4.80 Du-Bro Body Klip retainers. They are a bit of a PITA to install. You have to drill (or ream out) a hole in your truck body shell in between the existing body mount holes. The hole size must be precise or the little nub either wont fit through or it will fall out. I use a drill to ensure proper sizing. The instruction card states what size bit is required. It's a major pain to get the nub through the hole but once it's installed the body clips will NEVER get lost!

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Installed on my sons Losi XXX-SCT:

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Gluing tires to rims

It occurs to me that not everyone may know how to glue new tires to rims. I'm not saying this is the best method but it's the one I use. You will need 4 things:
  1. New tires
  2. New (or properly cleaned) rims
  3. CA type tire cement
  4. Heavy duty rubber bands
I've already mentioned which tires and rims I'm using. Know that if you suspend used tires/rims above a couple inches of acetone (not in the acetone, above it) in a sealed bucket, in time the vapors will release the CA cement allowing you to easily remove old, worn tires off the rims.

I prefer to use the AKA brand CA tire cement. I love the bit of plastic tubing that fits into the glue bottle allowing for very precise control of flow and application. I use 1/2" of tubing per application.

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Once you have the tires on the rims, push the tire bead back out of it's groove. The groove should hold the tire bead back allowing you full access to the groove which is where you'll eventually lay down a line of CA cement.

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Before you apply the CA cement, use a cotton ball to clean the groove and tire rubber. This will help to ensure good, strong adhesion.

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Lay down a thin line of CA cement in the groove along the entire circumference of the rim.

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Then, snap the tire bead into groove. Ensure that the bead is fully seated as you work your way around the rim. The tires are soft and can be pulled into place easily.

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Once the tire bead is seated into the groove, put a heavy duty rubber band around the edge to hold it in place while the CA cement cures.

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That's it.
 
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Skaxis, thanks so much for your very helpful posts!

I had the body clip tethers on my "research/to do" list and your input is greatly appreciated as it eliminates some of my legwork.

The same goes with the tires/wheels. I am going to allow the stock dBoots to wear out, but have my eyes on some proline trenchers or badlands from reading the threads around here.

I think I saw some Arrma wheels with a bluebeadlock I thought would look nice on the Fury and was thinking about converting to those purely for appearance. I think they were the "old" style wheels though like pictured above.

Your instructions for putting it all together is really helpful for us new guys, especially those of us with young kids who want to show kids the right way the first time.

The whole proprietary wheel/offset thing is irritating and if I had realized it beforehand I might have gone to Traxxas as a first truck. I mean, if I have to invest in some "standard" wheels, that money saved on the initial purchase is negated. Thankfully, it looks like they addressed this issue.
 
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